Car Journal

About this collection

The Bettendorf Company was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the early 1920s. As a way to reward long-term employees, the Company initiated the Loyalty Club in 1922. The Loyalty Club was made up of men who had been employees of the Bettendorf Company for fifteen or more years. The Car Journal was published monthly by the Loyalty Club beginning in November 1923. Each month, the Car Journal reported on company events, national railroad news, employee sports teams, and other activities of the Loyalty Club. Each issue also included original essays, poems, jokes, and photographs. The Car Journal was published until December 1930. In 1931 the Bettendorf Company closed their plant and no longer manufactured railroad cars.

Special thanks go to the Bettendorf Public Library, Bettendorf, Iowa, for allowing use of the print copies of the Car Journal, and to the Bettendorf Foundation for providing a grant to digitize this collection.